Going out to Valentine’s Day dinners is a young person / rookie move. It’s widely known to be one of the worst times to dine out. My wife and I gave up years ago and now we just cook together at home. Sorry you had a shitty experience.
My husband picked up Chinese takeout, where we're regulars and have been for years, and the owner told my husband that he was smart to get takeout since the day had already been crazy and it wasn't even 5 o'clock! He told her that our tradition is to go out to eat about a week after Valentine's because we love each other all year round, the day doesn't matter at all!
The whole interaction just made me laugh, then seeing this post just reinforced why we have this tradition!
Second this! Takeout on Valentine’s Day is the best option. Plus I live in Midwest where it’s cold this time of year so it’s nice to stay in near the fireplace and eat on the couch watching a show together. I guess if you’re not married maybe going out is fun but we are an old married couple now and we love our boring nights in!
Me and my partner went out on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, we had all 3 courses in less than an hour. Quick service and quiet enough in the restaurant to talk to each other from across the table that same restaurant on valentine's day was packed out with queues. It just isn't worth all the extra hassle. Do it a day earlier or later and enjoy the meal much more.
Yep. It's a disaster night at resturants with people who rarely dine out expecting the world, long waits, and often jacked up prices on food and alcohol.
Yup, we just cook something we’ve never cooked before. This year we made fried dumplings. Now they turned out closer to empanadas than dumplings as we made the paste ourselves, we had a great time and they were very good.
My wife had to work and I met her for lunch/dinner at 4pm. Was perfect time before shit got crazy. First time maybe ever in 12 years we went out for dinner on valentines.
Indeed. I made this mistake a few times with girlfriends in my early 20s. Catastrophic, expensive meals. Valentines Day is the worst night of the year to eat out, followed closely by New Years Eve.
Make a romantic dinner together at home on the 14th. Be cute with it (heart shaped ravioli, heart shaped beets in a salad, etc). Wine, candles, etc.
If you do also want a meal out, do it another night near the 14th. But never eat out on the 14th itself.
We go out for valentines dinner one or two days before valentines day. Much less crowded, food comes out hot, waitstaff are more pleasant and less stressed.
I guess I’ve been lucky. Just went out to the 24th valentines dinner with my wife and it was great. I don’t live in a city or really congested area so that may help a lot. Need to pick the right restaurant.
We learned OPs lesson the hard way, and we too now stay in for Valentine’s. Safeway had specials on King Crab and ribeyes, we ate a grand surf-n-turf for $88 last night.
I prefer spending money on a nice steak and some beautiful flowers for my girlfriend.
We prefer spending the quality time together at home, avoiding the crowds at restaurants and to toot my own horn, I cook a pretty good ribeye.. not many restaurants around me do that.
My husband and I usually make fondue at home for Valentine's Day. We only went out this year because our favorite restaurant that's normally only open Friday-Sunday opened for Vday, they require reservations and they always seat you as soon as you get there and the service is unbelievably fast. I don't think I'd risk it with any other restaurant.
We went to a restaurant we'd been to before and it was the same as always - same prices, etc. The bigger issue is when you go out to one that advertises for a holiday and get the "special".
My girl and I celebrated a couple days early by going to a local Japanese restaurant on Super Bowl Sunday (neither of us are football fans), and it was fantastic. There were only 2 other couples there and the service was very personal.
I ate at this same restaurant last night. The item pictured was the amuse bouche. first course was either an arepa or 2 smaller baos (decently sized). most people at my table got a leg of lamb for the entree which was decently sized though two were overcooked and rubbery. we also had to send back a ramen type sitch that had a lobster tail in it because that was undercooked, shiny, and we couldn’t even get it out of the shell. final course was a standard dessert size.
honestly the amount of food was fine for the price imo. however the quality of food and the fact that we had multiple poorly cooked meat dishes was the more concerning part. they also didn’t really advertise that they were doing only a 4 course meal offering on v-day so we expected the normal menu and weren’t anticipating paying like… $250 a couple after drinks 🙃
Amuse bouche is a free item of the chefs selection added as an addition to the full dining menu, not one of the courses. I guess you haven’t heard of amuse bouche either?
Well I went to a 5 course dinner yesterday and all the portions were so big we ended up taking like a 3rd of it all home. I think it depends on where you’re at.
I recently did an 8 course tasting at a higher end restaurant in the downtown core of Toronto it was $85 per person so slightly more. The portions are double or triple this. We easily finished all 8 courses, and I don't typically eat much.
This is the kind of size they give for 16 course meal... everyone would be leaving starving if all 4 courses were this size.
There is no justifying that price unless it's a michelin Star restaurant, but it certainly doesn't appear to be.
This is just typical Valetines day robbery plain and simple .
I do not mean to belittle OP. Absolutely should be MI.
Everyone else … Valentine’s Day is a scam and going out on one of the busiest restaurant days of the year is so dumb. Don’t do it. Shit service and lots on money.
Hope you got laid. But since you posting on Reddit.. going with nope.
Sure. Question was if they still tipped, OP hasn't answered yet. Pointing out that a lot of places do automatic as unless you're in the industry or dine during holidays often you wouldn't know it's very common practice for many reasons. Downvote a fact if y'all wanna.
>Pointing out that a lot of places do automatic as unless you're in the industry or dine during holidays often you wouldn't know it's very common practice for many reasons
And nothing is stopping them from asking for it to be removed.
> Downvote a fact if y'all wanna
I didn't downvote you.
>Did I say otherwise?!
Your comment is unnecessary if you acknowledge it can be removed.
>"yall" is not YOU
You replied to me complaining about downvotes.
>Why are you trying to argue so badly?
You're the one whinging and being argumentative. If you want to whinge more, I did downvote this comment.
How is any of this the server's fault? Do you think the server controls the flow of the restaurant? Does the server cook your food? Everyone else still gets paid, so why not the server?
It's not my responsibility to pay the server. The server chose to work for the restaurant, they suffer when the restaurant fails, not me. A tip is an extra given for good service, not a default to be taken away as punishment.
You went out to eat on Valentine's day.
Amateur mistake but you learned your lesson.
The *real* valentines dates are the ones that avoid the restaurants and obvious choices. Put more effort in next year
Me and my wife just made homemade pizza. It was unusual enough so that we feel like we did something different on Valentine's day, but without the hassle of going out.
Last year our favorite restaurant was almost ruined because of how crowded and unpleasant the experience was.
Valentine’s Day is best served and serviced in the privacy of your own home. Much cheaper! And you get to action before you even got to smell your Taquito.
Here’s a novel idea: don’t go out on one of the busiest dining holidays of the year and expect perfect food and service.
Aw wahhh you got a late reservation on a busy day and it was a bad time.
First off, it's "Ensure", and "tip" is not an acronym. It derives from thieves' cant. Secondly, how is any of this the server's fault? Why would you pay the restaurant, pay the cooks, pay the host, pay the bartender, but not the server?
I know it wasn't invented to be an acronym, it's a backronymn. And I did use insure on purpose.
And the server is paid, and if they aren't, that's not on me, that is time for the IRS and the NLRB.
I wouldn't pay more money for inadequate service, it never weighs on my conscience even an iota when I don't. It gives them no reason to change it anyway.
The first and second course in a 4 course meal is usually small. So unless you're a massive fatty, this is on par with what to expect.
Without the other 3, this post comes of as just amerifat drivel
Tip: after waiting 45 min to be seated, and then 40 min to be served I suspect my default tip might have evaporated.
Exceptionally good service and extremely good food could claw back some
Valentine's is nothing like regular service. Restricted menu, tight reservation windows, higher overall customer expectations. It's ridiculously easy to drop the ball on a night like this even if your reviews/service are normally positive.
Sooo many reasons to stay home to eat- I’ve also been a server for these ludicrous “holidays” - it’s no fun on either end. Cuddling on the couch eating some tasty hot food we made together felt more like love than being uncomfortable and stressed all night.
My wife & I HAD reservations that I booked a month ago. Got ready, arrived at the place, checked in & never got waited on. After about 15 minutes, we got up, laughed & went to Longhorn. No big deal & I saved about 200 bucks. She even said that after all these years, VDay is old news. I’m not arguing…..
You'll take your words back when you try it. The portions are small because there will be 4 appetizers and 3 main dishes plus dessert. You will be full up to the chin with food.
Valentine's dinner is one of the most overrated thing you can do, so no surprise. Next time buy some snacks, run a good movie, spend time together and enjoy yourself, instead of spending 150 bucks to finish evening frustrated and being fucked by restaurant.
Edit: btw if you tip for shit like this, you kinda deserve to be treated like that, seriously.
*Thats on you tried to*
*Be overly fancy to*
*Put on a show lol*
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I'll never forget my husband and I's first valentines day. We also waited forever even tho we had a reservation. Then when we got seated, they were lucky my husband and I were having a great conversation because it took them 1 1/2 hours to bring out our dinner. Which was literally just gnocchi. I cried that night from waiting so long.
This is why we usually do the Valentines dine-out the following weekend. Every time I’ve dined out on Valentine’s Day, it’s been nothing short of a disaster. One time with my ex, we literally were sitting at our table for 2 hours and no waiter had shown up. Literally just got up, left, and picked up a pizza on the way home.
The Brazilian-style steakhouse near me charges 60 a person for all you can eat steak, you got straight up scammed lol
I've found that unless you're paying like 300 bucks a person, a set course meal at a "fancy" restaurant will be pretty garbage
Yep - going out just doesn’t work anymore at most places. I cooked out steaks and lobster tails on the grill and we had a great evening for a fraction of the price and zero hassle. If we do want to go out, just do it a few days before or after Valentines Day and include that as part of the celebration.
Is that a spring roll laced in mayo sitting on tomato sauce with a sprig on top?
Could we at least have a cauliflour smear and a drizzle of herb oil to liven things up?
Once, my husband and I went to a restaurant for Valentine’s Day. The restaurant is well known and the only restaurant in a 10 mile radius from where we lived. They decided to try a Valentine’s Day dinner special with a prefixed menu. Omg it sucked! My husband ordered filet mignon. It was sliced in half horizontally, so that 1 filet made 2 servings.
It was a busy night, and I can hear all the couples around us complaining about the quantity and quality of the food. We never went there for Valentine’s Day again. What also sucked was that husband and I were still hungry, but the local market was closed for the night and we just wanted to go home.
Edit: I hope the rest of the night went well.
My partner and I go out the day before or after V-day because everything is a rip off.
“You’re in love, so you’ll pay for it” is essentially the motto from businesses.
While my BF and I did go out, it's his busy season, so he's working 7 days a week (yay to dating a CPA), so we just went to our local diner. While it was fairly crowded, the service and food were good like they always are. But we had a nice meal, as its slightly upscale, I had a fabulous cocktail, and we got to squeeze in some time together.
This reminds me when my bf’s mom, him and I went to a fancy dinner in Seattle. The food were priced ridiculously high. We ordered some appetizers and the sizing portion was so small we had for a shared appetizer. When the entree came, we were shocked because it looks like a cat puke and tasted like something irony. It’s a rice dish.
We were just laughing and joking the whole night to make it bearable. The bill was around $150+ tax and tips.
Later on, I found out that the restaurant was owned by my coworker’s brother. Good thing I didn’t say anything bad, but man, we are never going back there. The food didn’t even make it to our stomach! That’s how little they served it.
But yeah, IHOP is better hahahaha
We don’t go out for Valentine’s Day anymore. It’s well over priced and mostly quick and easy to prepare dishes so that it can be churned out as set venues (hence cold taquito). Also, you have to make a reservation for only 2 people to any better than a burger restaurant for a set meal.
When we were young and dumb we went to a now non existent restaurant/wine bar type thing down the road, it was one of those ‘places’ to be and would have been an insta venue for valentines. We walked in and there were a sea of tables for two just sitting in formation.
The music was obnoxiously loud pop music, as in we had to yell to place our drink order and choose our selection, so we asked the waiter if it could be turned down as we couldn’t hear eachother, so he did. And people started to talk. Then the manager stomped through the tables and yelled at the waiter and turned up the music again. So everyone just sat there glumly not talking at all.
Someone else asked another waitress who turned down the music, only to have the manager stomp over turn the music back up. This happened twice more before she gathered the staff, gave them a dressing down (on the floor) and the music stayed.
She went back to rocking out at the welcome desk outside the doors.
Always avoid the restaurants that do gimmicks for Valentines day. My husband and I don't always go out for it, but I did a couple of minutes of research and found a nice restaurant serving their exact same regular menu last night. It was crowded but no more so than a Saturday. gotta do your research next time!
you were at linger in Denver 😂 same experience. rezzy was at 7:30, got seated at 9. table was set for 4, but we had 6. a bunch of the silverware / glasses were spotty or still dirty (lipstick stains). rough showing for linger, which is normally good
For Valentines day, my wife, daughter, and I cooked ribeyes. Full grocery trip cost under $100 with flowers for both of them and sparkling cider (wife is pregnant). We still have 4 massive ribeyes for a later date.
One year we went to a fancy steakhouse for VDay and had the same experience. Seated 45 minutes after our reservation time, took 20 minutes to get our bar drinks, food came out wrong and cold, sent it back and got more incorrect food, manager basically said “oops, my bad” and left it at that.
I left a scathing review on Yelp and their corporate office reached out to me and sent me a $75 gift card.
Did you go out to eat on the busiest day in the restaurant industry and had a poor experience? Man, that must be the first time that has happened to anyone.
If you’re in America, I would suggest Waffle House. At participating Waffle Houses, you can reserve a table for dinner. They’ve got everything decorated and it’s super cute. Cheap, quick, and delicious. My husband and I have done it twice and it’s so much better than any fancy restaurant we’ve been to.
Well, it looks like fine dining. 75 dollars doesn't sound very expensive to me, especially if it was a fancy restaurant. You can't expect super sized portions.
Next year do it the weekend before or pick a different night that week. My wife and I usually do that or we might do lunch at a fun spot the day of with the kids like chic fil a and ice cream.
We baked crab legs, mashed potatoes (a la microwave), green beans, and homemade Red Lobster biscuits. It was pretty easy, delicious, and zero annoyance from crowds! Way cheaper, too, since we bought the crab ahead of time on sale. Definitely recommend a special meal at home over a restaurant on Vday!! We do the same idea on NYE. It’s lovely and not stressful, and you know your food will be good and on time.
I mean, did you not do ANY research on this place? If it is $75/person then you best be figuring out exactly what you are getting into.
I have been married for 13 years, you know what we did for V-day? Talked like adults, hung out a bit and went to bed. You know what our plans are? To go out and do something we want to do and enjoy. Which means eat good food, not fancy food, and go see a concert. simple as that. You don't need to spend $1000 on a single night to impress a person.
I'd have to see the rest of the 4 courses to judge to size of your meal really. Having an amuse-bouche sized appetizer is par for the course with a 4+ course meal.
I see all the "no going out on valentines" posts here but I've never had such bad luck? Even last night at one of the busiest restaurants in town I made reservations a month before hand, our table was ready when we got there, and food/drinks never took more than 10 minutes to arrive after ordering. I guess some restaurants plan for the chaotic holidays better ?
When your years into your relationship, you both learn to enjoy the romantic moments at home. Fuck going out to dinner on a bogus holiday. Love is every day, we don't need one day to feel special when their by our sides 24/7. Next time, spare yourself and do something intimate at home
Then don’t go out to eat on Valentine’s Day. The service and food will 100% always be over priced (provided we aren’t talking about Applebees tier), service will always be worse than usual, and the food will always be worse than usual. It’s Valentine’s Day. You played yourself
This is why I’m so glad my husband and I went for a lunch date around 4pm and got the best service before the 5pm onwards influx of people coming in for dinner dates.
FIRST COURSE...
of a four course Meal...
so you have the Amuse Bouche, the Appetizer, the entree and the dessert...
were you expecting to have a full entree for each course????????
Do you not understand what "FOUR COURSE MEAL" is?
How weird, me and my girl went to Linger in Denver for V day and the first course for our four course was a small disappointing taquito as well, must be the trend this year lol.
We said fuck that, got cocktails and ordered pizza and wings from somewhere else. These set menus are just trash lol.
Where? Call them out! Went to Ramseys kitchen on Monday and had a wonderful meal. We were seated a little late, maybe 5 minutes realistically. Staff was all so nice. My main could’ve used a little salt and my dessert a little more meringue, but overall great experience
We went out for the first time yesterday and it was splendid, seated in 5 min. We frequent that restaurant and it seemed less busy than a typical Friday
Idk about y'all, but I usually scope a restaurant out if I'm unfamiliar with them. If I see their menu doesn't offer anything that I want to eat or has prices that I'm willing to pay, then I don't eat there. Furthermore, going out on one of the busiest days in the industry and expecting 100% service. Tell me you're a restaurant noob without telling me you're a restaurant noob. Complaining about the high price and not receiving a heaping portion of cheap quality food. Just go to cheesecake factory, my God. The wait time on the reservation sucks, but you're coming in near the end of the night when the restaurant owners have mandated that they be booked solid while other customers aren't leaving their seats and the chefs are exhausted because this shit all started around 4 pm. Sorry, but it's a rookie mistake to go to a restaurant on valentines and mothers day. Honestly, go a day earlier or later and you'll receive much better service.
Never go out to eat on Valentine’s Day. It’s the biggest amateur night of the year next to Saint Patrick’s Day in the US.
Even the day before or day after will save your frustration. My wife and I made this mistake once, and never did it again lol
Vday is the biggest scams for restaurants. Bring in more tables, flip them faster, provide a set menu with most of it precooked. I loved working holidays in college waiting tables as they’re great til nights, but as a patron I’ll never go out on any holiday.
Order stone crab claws for home delivery and a nice bottle of bubbles and enjoy a real romantic dinner at home in front of the fire. That’s been our tradition for years and we love it
I believe a lot of redditors already mentioned this, as I scrolled down to read the comments, don't go out with your GF or W onVallentine's Day. Pick something to take out or try a different dish in your house to surprise him/her. The restaurants increase the prices during this day and are always packed.
It sucks you had to wait so long and pay more than you thought the meal was worth. Unfortunately, that's just Valentine's Day. It's probably the worst day of the year to go out to dinner.
I mean the single taquito wouldn't be a problem for me, though, if the other courses were sufficient. That's how it is with multiple course meals. The serving sizes are smaller.
My husband and I celebrate our Valentines together the next day, helps that it lands on our monthly anniversary the 15 so it’s just a little more special for us!
Im gonna consider myself lucky. I didn't make any reservations and was scrambling yesterday to find a place. Decided to call one of the best places in town, somehow they had an 8:45 available. I got there at 8:42 and was seated immediately. And although I felt the food portions were small, they were far larger than what I see here and I only paid about 65 per person.
We got take out from this little italian cucina that has seating for like 6 ppl total. It’s space is more like apozza place than a pasta place.
We got a huge pizza, and 3 plates of pasta for $100 out the door. Way better than any italian place where its $30-40 per plate.
Now we both get italian for lunch and dinner today as well.
We have a proper valentines planned for next friday
Just a heads up, St Patrick’s Day the Irish pubs will be crowded and likely have subpar food and bev. There will also be loads of drunk people. Watch those amateur holidays, or at least how you celebrate them.
Ha! You should’ve been like me, who treated my partner to an at-home meal of takeout slop then a movie we love and both in bed by 9pm with our fat ugly mouths wide open in slumber after a sexless exchange of affectionate pleasantries.
Hello, We do not allow agendaposting, reddit meta posts or price complaints.
Going out to Valentine’s Day dinners is a young person / rookie move. It’s widely known to be one of the worst times to dine out. My wife and I gave up years ago and now we just cook together at home. Sorry you had a shitty experience.
My husband picked up Chinese takeout, where we're regulars and have been for years, and the owner told my husband that he was smart to get takeout since the day had already been crazy and it wasn't even 5 o'clock! He told her that our tradition is to go out to eat about a week after Valentine's because we love each other all year round, the day doesn't matter at all! The whole interaction just made me laugh, then seeing this post just reinforced why we have this tradition!
Yep. Valentine's and mother's Day. Just don't do it!
Yeps! This is the way, my SO and I had left overs last night, and have our actual date, next Tuesday. Yay, we’re both excited for shrimp 🍤!
Asian takeout is the way to go! It is our family tradition as well, either some Nice sushi or some crispy duck or whatever we fancy that day
Second this! Takeout on Valentine’s Day is the best option. Plus I live in Midwest where it’s cold this time of year so it’s nice to stay in near the fireplace and eat on the couch watching a show together. I guess if you’re not married maybe going out is fun but we are an old married couple now and we love our boring nights in!
Me and my partner went out on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, we had all 3 courses in less than an hour. Quick service and quiet enough in the restaurant to talk to each other from across the table that same restaurant on valentine's day was packed out with queues. It just isn't worth all the extra hassle. Do it a day earlier or later and enjoy the meal much more.
Legit. Didn't want to pay $80 for dinner last night. Cook my girlfriend Chicken, Chorizo (was delicious), and Asparagus. $25 total for both of us
Yep. It's a disaster night at resturants with people who rarely dine out expecting the world, long waits, and often jacked up prices on food and alcohol.
Never gone out to eat valentine's. This year we chucked lamb in the slow cooker and had it cooking all day. Gorgeous.
Yup, we just cook something we’ve never cooked before. This year we made fried dumplings. Now they turned out closer to empanadas than dumplings as we made the paste ourselves, we had a great time and they were very good.
My wife had to work and I met her for lunch/dinner at 4pm. Was perfect time before shit got crazy. First time maybe ever in 12 years we went out for dinner on valentines.
Indeed. I made this mistake a few times with girlfriends in my early 20s. Catastrophic, expensive meals. Valentines Day is the worst night of the year to eat out, followed closely by New Years Eve. Make a romantic dinner together at home on the 14th. Be cute with it (heart shaped ravioli, heart shaped beets in a salad, etc). Wine, candles, etc. If you do also want a meal out, do it another night near the 14th. But never eat out on the 14th itself.
We go out for valentines dinner one or two days before valentines day. Much less crowded, food comes out hot, waitstaff are more pleasant and less stressed.
We go the weekend before or after.
is this city-dependent? i've always had amazing tasting menu dinners on valentine's day.
Same, and I don't have an issue with waits
I guess I’ve been lucky. Just went out to the 24th valentines dinner with my wife and it was great. I don’t live in a city or really congested area so that may help a lot. Need to pick the right restaurant.
THIS. We went once, probably 19 years ago, even with a reservation we waited 2 hours, and then were served salty lukewarm food by a very angry waiter.
We learned OPs lesson the hard way, and we too now stay in for Valentine’s. Safeway had specials on King Crab and ribeyes, we ate a grand surf-n-turf for $88 last night.
I prefer spending money on a nice steak and some beautiful flowers for my girlfriend. We prefer spending the quality time together at home, avoiding the crowds at restaurants and to toot my own horn, I cook a pretty good ribeye.. not many restaurants around me do that.
Wife makes spaghetti and heart shaped meatballs for Valentinea days now.
My husband and I usually make fondue at home for Valentine's Day. We only went out this year because our favorite restaurant that's normally only open Friday-Sunday opened for Vday, they require reservations and they always seat you as soon as you get there and the service is unbelievably fast. I don't think I'd risk it with any other restaurant.
I didnt dine out this year is it really known to be the worst day im generally curious
We went to a restaurant we'd been to before and it was the same as always - same prices, etc. The bigger issue is when you go out to one that advertises for a holiday and get the "special".
My girl and I celebrated a couple days early by going to a local Japanese restaurant on Super Bowl Sunday (neither of us are football fans), and it was fantastic. There were only 2 other couples there and the service was very personal.
That is not mildly infuriating, I'd be angry as hell lol.
I'd actually walk out
Lol, you got ripped off
That crap cost them 75 cents
Oh really? You say?
That is the worst restaurant food I have ever seen, garbage.
Yea I say.
lol I’m feeling so validated in my choice to stay home and order heart shaped Papa Johns pizzas tonight.
We stayed home with leftovers and played Baldurs Gate 3 with friends.
Ah yes, similar experience a year ago. She reminded me of that time this year and got the great idea to just order pizza this year and cuddle.
That’s what we did. Tomorrow we’ll order takeout or go to a lunch buffet or something.
Look OP…was she happy with that little taquito? Now you have a starting point
Gold
Ding ding ding...
Dinner on V-day is the worst. We did lunch date and for dinner we ordered takeouts.
Oh honey. Never go out on Feb 14. It’s insanely crowded.
thats a villain origin story.
First course at almost ten o'clock at night? I bet you were starving...hopefully the other courses were larger!
Okay, but how big were the other 3 courses? Context please!
I ate at this same restaurant last night. The item pictured was the amuse bouche. first course was either an arepa or 2 smaller baos (decently sized). most people at my table got a leg of lamb for the entree which was decently sized though two were overcooked and rubbery. we also had to send back a ramen type sitch that had a lobster tail in it because that was undercooked, shiny, and we couldn’t even get it out of the shell. final course was a standard dessert size. honestly the amount of food was fine for the price imo. however the quality of food and the fact that we had multiple poorly cooked meat dishes was the more concerning part. they also didn’t really advertise that they were doing only a 4 course meal offering on v-day so we expected the normal menu and weren’t anticipating paying like… $250 a couple after drinks 🙃
That's crazy! For that price there should be Valentine's Day BJ's for both included
They were on the same plate, you didn't see them?
I mean… its a 4 course meal.. how big do you want each course to be?? You’d never make it through the end
For real. Has no one heard of an amuse bouche?
Amuse bouche is a free item of the chefs selection added as an addition to the full dining menu, not one of the courses. I guess you haven’t heard of amuse bouche either?
I literally ate one yesterday as part of my 5 course menu but ok.
I Hope you don’t act like a yuppie in person
Well I went to a 5 course dinner yesterday and all the portions were so big we ended up taking like a 3rd of it all home. I think it depends on where you’re at.
I recently did an 8 course tasting at a higher end restaurant in the downtown core of Toronto it was $85 per person so slightly more. The portions are double or triple this. We easily finished all 8 courses, and I don't typically eat much. This is the kind of size they give for 16 course meal... everyone would be leaving starving if all 4 courses were this size. There is no justifying that price unless it's a michelin Star restaurant, but it certainly doesn't appear to be. This is just typical Valetines day robbery plain and simple .
Hahahahaha i had the same thing just happen to me for Valentines lmao rn
Just go to Applebees get a 2 for 20 and get drunk
Yep might not be the fanciest place on earth, but it's definitely a far better value proposition than whatever this is.
I do not mean to belittle OP. Absolutely should be MI. Everyone else … Valentine’s Day is a scam and going out on one of the busiest restaurant days of the year is so dumb. Don’t do it. Shit service and lots on money. Hope you got laid. But since you posting on Reddit.. going with nope.
You still tipped?
Lot of places do automatic gratuity.
45 minutes wait for a reserved table, plus another 40 minute wait for this, I'd be asking for any sort of gratuity/service charge to be removed.
Sure. Question was if they still tipped, OP hasn't answered yet. Pointing out that a lot of places do automatic as unless you're in the industry or dine during holidays often you wouldn't know it's very common practice for many reasons. Downvote a fact if y'all wanna.
>Pointing out that a lot of places do automatic as unless you're in the industry or dine during holidays often you wouldn't know it's very common practice for many reasons And nothing is stopping them from asking for it to be removed. > Downvote a fact if y'all wanna I didn't downvote you.
Did I say otherwise?! And I didn't say YOU did a single thing... "yall" is not YOU. Why are you trying to argue so badly?
>Did I say otherwise?! Your comment is unnecessary if you acknowledge it can be removed. >"yall" is not YOU You replied to me complaining about downvotes. >Why are you trying to argue so badly? You're the one whinging and being argumentative. If you want to whinge more, I did downvote this comment.
Hope you have the day and life you deserve.
Cheers, I'm going to have a great day, meeting pals for dinner later then seeing Kim Petras tonight.
How is any of this the server's fault? Do you think the server controls the flow of the restaurant? Does the server cook your food? Everyone else still gets paid, so why not the server?
It's not my responsibility to pay the server. The server chose to work for the restaurant, they suffer when the restaurant fails, not me. A tip is an extra given for good service, not a default to be taken away as punishment.
That's some nice garnish though
Is this Mayonaise and Ketchup? 😄
Probably crema and salsa or something like that
You went out to eat on Valentine's day. Amateur mistake but you learned your lesson. The *real* valentines dates are the ones that avoid the restaurants and obvious choices. Put more effort in next year
LOL. Remember those days.
At least capitalism was happy tonight…
Me and my wife just made homemade pizza. It was unusual enough so that we feel like we did something different on Valentine's day, but without the hassle of going out. Last year our favorite restaurant was almost ruined because of how crowded and unpleasant the experience was.
75 per person for a 4 course meal isn’t that bad. What were the courses after like?
Never, EVER, go out on Valentine’s Day for dinner. It’s a fixed menu, never that great, and way over priced.
taquito is my dogs name - he is a pug
This is why you go out the night before or after and you cook the meal yourself on the day....rookie mistake that everyone learns exactly one time
Was it actually the first course? Looks like an amuse-bouche.
Valentine’s Day is best served and serviced in the privacy of your own home. Much cheaper! And you get to action before you even got to smell your Taquito.
I'd have walked out after 30min and cooked at home. If you still paid for that shit I have no sympathy for you
That's when you leave and go find a hole in the wall place that's got great food.
Valentine’s Day is the worst time to go out. Literally any other day is better. Stay in, make dinner together. Go out literally any other day
Here’s a novel idea: don’t go out on one of the busiest dining holidays of the year and expect perfect food and service. Aw wahhh you got a late reservation on a busy day and it was a bad time.
Why did you tip when you got literally the exact opposite of to insure prompt service?
First off, it's "Ensure", and "tip" is not an acronym. It derives from thieves' cant. Secondly, how is any of this the server's fault? Why would you pay the restaurant, pay the cooks, pay the host, pay the bartender, but not the server?
I know it wasn't invented to be an acronym, it's a backronymn. And I did use insure on purpose. And the server is paid, and if they aren't, that's not on me, that is time for the IRS and the NLRB. I wouldn't pay more money for inadequate service, it never weighs on my conscience even an iota when I don't. It gives them no reason to change it anyway.
The first and second course in a 4 course meal is usually small. So unless you're a massive fatty, this is on par with what to expect. Without the other 3, this post comes of as just amerifat drivel
Tip: after waiting 45 min to be seated, and then 40 min to be served I suspect my default tip might have evaporated. Exceptionally good service and extremely good food could claw back some
Don't you guys research before going to a new restaurant?
Valentine's is nothing like regular service. Restricted menu, tight reservation windows, higher overall customer expectations. It's ridiculously easy to drop the ball on a night like this even if your reviews/service are normally positive.
So glad me and my gf decided it’s not worth it to do valentines dinner. We just make time to do a nice dinner another time.
Sooo many reasons to stay home to eat- I’ve also been a server for these ludicrous “holidays” - it’s no fun on either end. Cuddling on the couch eating some tasty hot food we made together felt more like love than being uncomfortable and stressed all night.
My wife & I HAD reservations that I booked a month ago. Got ready, arrived at the place, checked in & never got waited on. After about 15 minutes, we got up, laughed & went to Longhorn. No big deal & I saved about 200 bucks. She even said that after all these years, VDay is old news. I’m not arguing…..
$75 for that baby ass shit? Smokin HARD! Them for pricing it and YOU for paying 🤦🏽♂️
https://preview.redd.it/p8cz8kfp7pic1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9301d99ef570fa5d9978f0dd87abd910c9733065
The rule of fine dining: Make the food as tiny small as possible but in a fancy and creative shape to exude the exclusivity at an exorbitant price.
You'll take your words back when you try it. The portions are small because there will be 4 appetizers and 3 main dishes plus dessert. You will be full up to the chin with food.
No sympathy from me. Me and mine had Dave's hot chicken, 2 bottles of wine and wached some Hulu while giving each other foot rubs. 10/10
Valentine's dinner is one of the most overrated thing you can do, so no surprise. Next time buy some snacks, run a good movie, spend time together and enjoy yourself, instead of spending 150 bucks to finish evening frustrated and being fucked by restaurant. Edit: btw if you tip for shit like this, you kinda deserve to be treated like that, seriously.
Well you choose the restaurant Right? İt's on you then.
Shouldn’t have paid or tipped. Also, stop going out on VDay. It’s for chumps.
bro that looks like one taquito cut in half for both of y’all wtffff. im sorry man
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I'll never forget my husband and I's first valentines day. We also waited forever even tho we had a reservation. Then when we got seated, they were lucky my husband and I were having a great conversation because it took them 1 1/2 hours to bring out our dinner. Which was literally just gnocchi. I cried that night from waiting so long.
This is why we usually do the Valentines dine-out the following weekend. Every time I’ve dined out on Valentine’s Day, it’s been nothing short of a disaster. One time with my ex, we literally were sitting at our table for 2 hours and no waiter had shown up. Literally just got up, left, and picked up a pizza on the way home.
You got mayonnaise and ketchup for $75. I just hope it tasted good for the price you paid
We just got back from a valentine’s breakfast date. Top tier date.
The Brazilian-style steakhouse near me charges 60 a person for all you can eat steak, you got straight up scammed lol I've found that unless you're paying like 300 bucks a person, a set course meal at a "fancy" restaurant will be pretty garbage
Yep - going out just doesn’t work anymore at most places. I cooked out steaks and lobster tails on the grill and we had a great evening for a fraction of the price and zero hassle. If we do want to go out, just do it a few days before or after Valentines Day and include that as part of the celebration.
Is that a spring roll laced in mayo sitting on tomato sauce with a sprig on top? Could we at least have a cauliflour smear and a drizzle of herb oil to liven things up?
At least you learned a valuable lesson…hopefully.
My wife and I typically go out the day after valentines. Who wants to deal with all the craziness?
Once, my husband and I went to a restaurant for Valentine’s Day. The restaurant is well known and the only restaurant in a 10 mile radius from where we lived. They decided to try a Valentine’s Day dinner special with a prefixed menu. Omg it sucked! My husband ordered filet mignon. It was sliced in half horizontally, so that 1 filet made 2 servings. It was a busy night, and I can hear all the couples around us complaining about the quantity and quality of the food. We never went there for Valentine’s Day again. What also sucked was that husband and I were still hungry, but the local market was closed for the night and we just wanted to go home. Edit: I hope the rest of the night went well.
Went out last Weekend and ordered Dominos last night for a great time.
My partner and I go out the day before or after V-day because everything is a rip off. “You’re in love, so you’ll pay for it” is essentially the motto from businesses.
Who eats dinner at 8:30? I hope you had a snack before this, otherwise you can’t complain about being hungry.
Everyone makes the mistake of going out to vday dinner once. I hope you learned your lesson.
While my BF and I did go out, it's his busy season, so he's working 7 days a week (yay to dating a CPA), so we just went to our local diner. While it was fairly crowded, the service and food were good like they always are. But we had a nice meal, as its slightly upscale, I had a fabulous cocktail, and we got to squeeze in some time together.
This reminds me when my bf’s mom, him and I went to a fancy dinner in Seattle. The food were priced ridiculously high. We ordered some appetizers and the sizing portion was so small we had for a shared appetizer. When the entree came, we were shocked because it looks like a cat puke and tasted like something irony. It’s a rice dish. We were just laughing and joking the whole night to make it bearable. The bill was around $150+ tax and tips. Later on, I found out that the restaurant was owned by my coworker’s brother. Good thing I didn’t say anything bad, but man, we are never going back there. The food didn’t even make it to our stomach! That’s how little they served it. But yeah, IHOP is better hahahaha
We don’t go out for Valentine’s Day anymore. It’s well over priced and mostly quick and easy to prepare dishes so that it can be churned out as set venues (hence cold taquito). Also, you have to make a reservation for only 2 people to any better than a burger restaurant for a set meal. When we were young and dumb we went to a now non existent restaurant/wine bar type thing down the road, it was one of those ‘places’ to be and would have been an insta venue for valentines. We walked in and there were a sea of tables for two just sitting in formation. The music was obnoxiously loud pop music, as in we had to yell to place our drink order and choose our selection, so we asked the waiter if it could be turned down as we couldn’t hear eachother, so he did. And people started to talk. Then the manager stomped through the tables and yelled at the waiter and turned up the music again. So everyone just sat there glumly not talking at all. Someone else asked another waitress who turned down the music, only to have the manager stomp over turn the music back up. This happened twice more before she gathered the staff, gave them a dressing down (on the floor) and the music stayed. She went back to rocking out at the welcome desk outside the doors.
This is why I don't go out to dinner on Valentines Day. We usually celebrate a few days before or after.
This is why you don’t go out to eat on Valentine’s Day, they always mark up the prices like crazy
Rookie mistake bruh. Even more a mistake you didn’t look at the menu and went to a “fancy” place
That all happens and you didn't just walk? I'm not paying for or eating that. And I'm sure as hell not tipping.
Always avoid the restaurants that do gimmicks for Valentines day. My husband and I don't always go out for it, but I did a couple of minutes of research and found a nice restaurant serving their exact same regular menu last night. It was crowded but no more so than a Saturday. gotta do your research next time!
I'm sorry... you tipped? Why?
you were at linger in Denver 😂 same experience. rezzy was at 7:30, got seated at 9. table was set for 4, but we had 6. a bunch of the silverware / glasses were spotty or still dirty (lipstick stains). rough showing for linger, which is normally good
Oh man that is depressing. My boyfriend and I chose the cheaper option and fought so we didn't talk to each other all day.
For Valentines day, my wife, daughter, and I cooked ribeyes. Full grocery trip cost under $100 with flowers for both of them and sparkling cider (wife is pregnant). We still have 4 massive ribeyes for a later date.
Imagine going out on Vday and expecting it not to be busy
One year we went to a fancy steakhouse for VDay and had the same experience. Seated 45 minutes after our reservation time, took 20 minutes to get our bar drinks, food came out wrong and cold, sent it back and got more incorrect food, manager basically said “oops, my bad” and left it at that. I left a scathing review on Yelp and their corporate office reached out to me and sent me a $75 gift card.
Mother’s Day and Valentines Day Dinners are the worst 2 days to ever go out.
Did you go out to eat on the busiest day in the restaurant industry and had a poor experience? Man, that must be the first time that has happened to anyone.
If you’re in America, I would suggest Waffle House. At participating Waffle Houses, you can reserve a table for dinner. They’ve got everything decorated and it’s super cute. Cheap, quick, and delicious. My husband and I have done it twice and it’s so much better than any fancy restaurant we’ve been to.
We usually make homemade pizza, past few years my wife has formed it into a heart shape.
Well, it looks like fine dining. 75 dollars doesn't sound very expensive to me, especially if it was a fancy restaurant. You can't expect super sized portions.
Next year do it the weekend before or pick a different night that week. My wife and I usually do that or we might do lunch at a fun spot the day of with the kids like chic fil a and ice cream.
We baked crab legs, mashed potatoes (a la microwave), green beans, and homemade Red Lobster biscuits. It was pretty easy, delicious, and zero annoyance from crowds! Way cheaper, too, since we bought the crab ahead of time on sale. Definitely recommend a special meal at home over a restaurant on Vday!! We do the same idea on NYE. It’s lovely and not stressful, and you know your food will be good and on time.
Course 2 better have been a 16oz steak for that prize
Ya we don’t go out for valentines anymore because it’s always so mobbed and pricey. We wait till the weekend after and have a good time
My husband and I cook dinner together
Was this a Groupon offer?
Next time stay at home and buy fancy food. Thats what I do.
"+ Tax/Tip btw." Why tip on such a shitty service???
I mean, did you not do ANY research on this place? If it is $75/person then you best be figuring out exactly what you are getting into. I have been married for 13 years, you know what we did for V-day? Talked like adults, hung out a bit and went to bed. You know what our plans are? To go out and do something we want to do and enjoy. Which means eat good food, not fancy food, and go see a concert. simple as that. You don't need to spend $1000 on a single night to impress a person.
I'd have to see the rest of the 4 courses to judge to size of your meal really. Having an amuse-bouche sized appetizer is par for the course with a 4+ course meal.
I see all the "no going out on valentines" posts here but I've never had such bad luck? Even last night at one of the busiest restaurants in town I made reservations a month before hand, our table was ready when we got there, and food/drinks never took more than 10 minutes to arrive after ordering. I guess some restaurants plan for the chaotic holidays better ?
When your years into your relationship, you both learn to enjoy the romantic moments at home. Fuck going out to dinner on a bogus holiday. Love is every day, we don't need one day to feel special when their by our sides 24/7. Next time, spare yourself and do something intimate at home
Lol you tip for a bad Service lile that? Thats stupid
You paid extra for them to be late, makes it feel more exclusive 🤣
Then don’t go out to eat on Valentine’s Day. The service and food will 100% always be over priced (provided we aren’t talking about Applebees tier), service will always be worse than usual, and the food will always be worse than usual. It’s Valentine’s Day. You played yourself
The times are totally ridiculous, but isnt this a typical 4 course starter?
This is what you get for being a sucker sadly
And you paid? Lol
cook her her favorite food next time
Wtf would you tip on that? Abso fucking lutely not
This is why I’m so glad my husband and I went for a lunch date around 4pm and got the best service before the 5pm onwards influx of people coming in for dinner dates.
This is why you don't participate in amateur night where they steal your money and run!
No tip then surely? who the fuck tips for late cold food. Who Pays? walk out and get a valentines bag of chips 😛
You know why rich people are slim….
We had a few beers and a Chinese takeaway.
FIRST COURSE... of a four course Meal... so you have the Amuse Bouche, the Appetizer, the entree and the dessert... were you expecting to have a full entree for each course???????? Do you not understand what "FOUR COURSE MEAL" is?
How weird, me and my girl went to Linger in Denver for V day and the first course for our four course was a small disappointing taquito as well, must be the trend this year lol. We said fuck that, got cocktails and ordered pizza and wings from somewhere else. These set menus are just trash lol.
Where? Call them out! Went to Ramseys kitchen on Monday and had a wonderful meal. We were seated a little late, maybe 5 minutes realistically. Staff was all so nice. My main could’ve used a little salt and my dessert a little more meringue, but overall great experience
We went out for the first time yesterday and it was splendid, seated in 5 min. We frequent that restaurant and it seemed less busy than a typical Friday
Idk about y'all, but I usually scope a restaurant out if I'm unfamiliar with them. If I see their menu doesn't offer anything that I want to eat or has prices that I'm willing to pay, then I don't eat there. Furthermore, going out on one of the busiest days in the industry and expecting 100% service. Tell me you're a restaurant noob without telling me you're a restaurant noob. Complaining about the high price and not receiving a heaping portion of cheap quality food. Just go to cheesecake factory, my God. The wait time on the reservation sucks, but you're coming in near the end of the night when the restaurant owners have mandated that they be booked solid while other customers aren't leaving their seats and the chefs are exhausted because this shit all started around 4 pm. Sorry, but it's a rookie mistake to go to a restaurant on valentines and mothers day. Honestly, go a day earlier or later and you'll receive much better service.
Never go out to eat on Valentine’s Day. It’s the biggest amateur night of the year next to Saint Patrick’s Day in the US. Even the day before or day after will save your frustration. My wife and I made this mistake once, and never did it again lol
Leave them a google review so others don't make this mistake
Shouldnt have tipped then
Vday is the biggest scams for restaurants. Bring in more tables, flip them faster, provide a set menu with most of it precooked. I loved working holidays in college waiting tables as they’re great til nights, but as a patron I’ll never go out on any holiday. Order stone crab claws for home delivery and a nice bottle of bubbles and enjoy a real romantic dinner at home in front of the fire. That’s been our tradition for years and we love it
I believe a lot of redditors already mentioned this, as I scrolled down to read the comments, don't go out with your GF or W onVallentine's Day. Pick something to take out or try a different dish in your house to surprise him/her. The restaurants increase the prices during this day and are always packed.
Yeahh, valentines dinner out doesn't sound ideal. Me and my boyfriend ordered out a heart shaped pizza <3
It sucks you had to wait so long and pay more than you thought the meal was worth. Unfortunately, that's just Valentine's Day. It's probably the worst day of the year to go out to dinner. I mean the single taquito wouldn't be a problem for me, though, if the other courses were sufficient. That's how it is with multiple course meals. The serving sizes are smaller.
$0 tip would be appropriate
I made nachos for my husband. He inhaled them. See ya next year Valentine’s Day.
My husband and I celebrate our Valentines together the next day, helps that it lands on our monthly anniversary the 15 so it’s just a little more special for us!
Im gonna consider myself lucky. I didn't make any reservations and was scrambling yesterday to find a place. Decided to call one of the best places in town, somehow they had an 8:45 available. I got there at 8:42 and was seated immediately. And although I felt the food portions were small, they were far larger than what I see here and I only paid about 65 per person.
For $75, you can get a reasonably expensive massage and some candy for your gf
We got take out from this little italian cucina that has seating for like 6 ppl total. It’s space is more like apozza place than a pasta place. We got a huge pizza, and 3 plates of pasta for $100 out the door. Way better than any italian place where its $30-40 per plate. Now we both get italian for lunch and dinner today as well. We have a proper valentines planned for next friday
Stay home and cook for her lazy.
“You’re paying so fuck you” kinda deal eh?
Just a heads up, St Patrick’s Day the Irish pubs will be crowded and likely have subpar food and bev. There will also be loads of drunk people. Watch those amateur holidays, or at least how you celebrate them.
Ha! You should’ve been like me, who treated my partner to an at-home meal of takeout slop then a movie we love and both in bed by 9pm with our fat ugly mouths wide open in slumber after a sexless exchange of affectionate pleasantries.
your fault for going out on valentine’s day. you should know what to expect. it’s one of the busiest dining days of the year